Friday, May 13, 2016

FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY - COLONIAL QUILLS BLOG!!!

Here we are in COLONIAL Philadelphia, celebrating our FIVE YEAR anniversary of the Colonial Quills blog! Little did I realize that it would take five more years from that time to finally see my colonial Philadelphia (and France/Palatinate) story Saving the Marquise's Granddaughter to finally be published! But, praise God, it releases in June in ebook and in July in paperback!!! God's timing is what we have to trust.Over the five years we have had many wonderful contributors, all members of Colonial American Christian Writers group. Some no longer blog, but we are grateful for their time with us!The original founders of the group, who continue to blog on CQ AND our new members are:Founding/Continuing Members 2011

From Carrie Fancett Pagels: I'm so grateful for the like-minded authors who joined in the Colonial American Christian Fiction group five and a half years ago, and then began this blog five years ago this month! When I began, I was researching my colonial novel, Saving the Marquise's Granddaughter, finally about to release this June from Pelican Books! Our group also covers the Early American period up until 1820. I recently released The Steeplechase (Forget Me Not Romances, February 2016) set in 1810 in Williamsburg and Yorktown, Virginia.In the past five years, I've won a national contest (Family Fiction's "The Story") for my short story "The Quilting Contest" and finaled in the Maggie's unpublished Historical Romance with a romance set on Mackinac Island, which will be published by Barbour next summer.

My debut book Return to Shirley Plantation: A Civil War Romance, from 2013 was a Civil War Amazon top-rated Ebook for a year and bestseller for over seven months. The novella re-released with a beautiful new cover from CQ member, Roseanna White.

So much has happened in the past five years, but a few more highlights are having all three of my Christy Lumber Camp books final in Family Fiction's Book of the Year (The Fruitcake Challenge was also a Selah Award finalist). I qualified for Romance Writers of America's (RWA) Professional Author's Network (PAN) this fall.

GIVEAWAY: I'm giving away winner's choice of any of my books in ebook or paperback, a pair of my handmade earrings, bookmarks, and oversized postcards of my cover for Saving the Marquise's Granddaughter!

From J. M. Hochstetler: Thank you with all my heart, Carrie, for inviting me to join Colonial Quills 5 years ago! It's been a delight and a blessing be a part of this wonderful group of writers who share a common love of history and our Savior, and I add my congratulations to Colonial Quills on this 5th anniversary! I'm an author, editor, publisher, and historian. My first historical novel, Daughter of Liberty, set during the American Revolution, originally released in 2004. I little imagined it would be followed by what will be a total of 6 more volumes of my American Patriot Series when the last two are finally released. The inspiring story of my Amish Mennonite Hochstetler ancestors, who emigrated to this country in 1738 only to be caught up in the French and Indian War, first sparked my interest in history. I'm privileged to be writing a fictional treatment of that story along with my cousin, multi-published author Bob Hostetler. Northkill, Book 1 of the Northkill Amish Series, is currently available, and the sequel, The Return, releases next spring. You can find me atwww.jmhochstetler.com and https://www.facebook.com/joan.hochstetler.

To celebrate CQ's anniversary, I'm giving away a copy of Northkill and a copy of the Perfect Pies Cookbook from Rise n' Roll Bakery in Shipshewana, Indiana.

From Roseanna M. White: How has it been 5 years already? It seems like just a few months ago that I was so excited to join this group as I anticipated the release of my first book from a big publisher, Love Finds You in Annapolis, Maryland. It released in December of 2011, my third book, and now I'll be celebrating the release of #13 by the end of 2016!My books range from biblical fiction to my American-set historical romances that include 3 early-American titles (LFY Annapolis, Ring of Secrets, and Whispers from the Shadows - the final book in that Culper Ring Series is Civil War Baltimore), to my newest series from Bethany House, set in England of the 1910s.I was shocked and honored to recently learn that the first of that new Ladies of the Manor Series, The Lost Heiress, is a finalist this year in the prestigious Christy Awards.When I'm not writing, I'm homeschooling my kids, editing for WhiteFire Publishing, and designing book covers. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, sign up for my newsletter, swing by my blog, or check out my website!It's been both pleasure and honor to partner with these amazing ladies over the last 5 years! I love having this blog as a place to recommend readers and writers who love the early-American era, and also as a place to encourage and celebrate the work my CQ sisters are doing!

I'm giving away winner's choice of any of my novels, plus a Tea Forte infuser cup, for making that perfect mug of loose-leaf tea (choice of 1 design).

From Janet Grunst:Congratulations to Colonial Quills on its five-year anniversary. I’m blessed to have been a part of this group of talented writers for the past four. Virginia has been my home for four decades and the historic triangle for the past ten years. Living in the Old Dominion has nurtured my lifelong love of history.

I am excited to have a colonial story set in Virginia and Scotland that will be published in December with Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. The sequel to that story is my current work in progress.

From Carla Olson Gade: Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! I can hardly believe that 5 years have passed here at CQ! The camaraderie enjoyed by the Colonial American Christian Writers under the guidance of our fearless leader, Carrie Fancett Pagels, has been a fantastic experience! I have learned so much from my fellow writers who enjoy early American history, especially its founding years, as much as I. And what a blessing it has been to get to know so many our amazing readers and blog friends. The journey of publications for so many of us has been like a bumpy carriage ride, but alas! it has been memorable, and we've enjoyed having your company along the way! From the very beginning of the blog, each and every participant has enjoyed varied successes and we are humbled and grateful that among our ranks are many award winning authors, including the esteemed Christy Awards.A New Englander, I've always been captivated by our country's early history, which has influenced my writing profoundly. My first novel, The Shadow Catcher's Daughter was a 19th century western and I'm pleased to announce that it is set for a reprint next year under a new title from Barbour Publishing, Love's Compass. Following my debut, came my colonial novella Carving a Future in Colonial Courtships, re-released in The American Dream Romance Collection.Mistletoe Memories, with my 1820 novella, 'Tis the Season, found its way to #5 on the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association (ECPA) national best sellers list! Another novella, Proving Up, a prairie romance in The Homestead Brides Collection was #10 on the ECPA bestsellers list. I also enjoyed writing two Christmas stories in Guidepost Books bestselling A Cup of Christmas Cheer (2013 and 2014), one of them beside Carrie's story! My novel Pattern for Romance, set in pre-revolutionary Boston, was among Abingdon Press's popular Quilts of Love series a recently recorded by Audible.com. Please visit me Amazon.com Author Page, Pintrest Storyboards, and like my Facebook Author Page!

To celebrate my 5+ years of publications and CQ's anniversary, I am giving away an audio copy of Pattern for Romance!

From Shannon McNear: Happy Fifth Anniversary to Colonial Quills! I joined this amazing group in early 2013, shortly after being surprised with my first publishing contract. That first novella Defending Truth (A Pioneer Christmas Collection, 2013 and 2015) is a Revolutionary War tale dealing with the aftermath of the Battle of Kings Mountain (October 1780), and was a 2014 RITA® finalist. My second novella The Highwayman released last year as part of The Most Eligible Bachelor Collection.After growing up in the Midwest, I spent several years in Virginia and more than two decades in Charleston, South Carolina, where I was thoroughly infected with the early history of our country. We now live on glacier prairie in southeastern North Dakota. What a change! I’ve enjoyed continuing to delve into colonial history and politics, and revisiting the Lowcountry in my posts for Colonial Quills. Mostly I’m just a hopeless research nerd. :)shannonmcnear.comFacebookPinterest Represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube AgencyIn celebration of CQ’s fifth anniversary, I’m giving away a signed copy of A Pioneer Christmas Collection, 2015 second edition.

From Cynthia Howerter: Since joining Colonial Quills in 2013, I've had the time of my life writing for this unique website. It's the perfect place for me to share my love and knowledge of the American colonial period.I'm a direct descendant of several men who fought in the Revolutionary War, most notably the legendary Colonel John Kelly, a Revolutionary War hero and member of Pennsylvania's 1776 Constitutional Convention.One of my most favorite childhood experiences was playing with my siblings and cousins in family-owned Fort Rice, the last-standing Revolutionary War fort in Pennsylvania. We pretended to re-enact battles that actually took place there and in the surrounding area between British soldiers and their Iroquois allies and Colonel Kelly and his Pennsylvania militia and local settlers.

My stories and articles reflect my unique life experiences gained from living in history-rich Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Virginia, and through hearing spell-binding stories told by my history-loving mother and paternal grandmother about my family's lives in 18th century America. You could say that American history flows through my veins. Thank you for allowing me to share with you these past several years.

Award-winning author Cynthia Howerter earned First Place in historical fiction at the 2015 Florida Christian Writers Conference. The non-fiction anthology she co-authored with La-Tan Roland Murphy, God's Provision in Tough Times, was a 2014 Selah Award Finalist and is available at Amazon. Currently, Cynthia has two colonial historical fiction novels in progress.

From Denise Weimer: I began blogging for Colonial Quills in early 2015. I had never written Colonial fiction before, having lingered comfortably in the mid-1800s for most of my writing career, but last year I was writing my Restoration Trilogy (White, Widow and Witch). While the main trilogy story is modern romantic suspense, each novel includes a historical back story from a different century, with book three reaching back to 1787. Researching Colonial Georgia presented a challenge! As I went on to
write Across Three Autumns, a romantic novella of the Revolutionary War backwoods, I realized just how much I didn't know about this time period! Joining Colonial Quills amounted to one of the smartest decisions I'd ever made, because I got to interact with some of the coolest Christian writer ladies on the planet. They have blessed, encouraged and stretched me, especially where it came to publicity and networking! And CQ connected me to a wonderful group of readers, you!

To say thanks for all that, I'm giving away a reader choice print copy of my new book, White, or any of my Georgia Gold books. Of course I'd recommend starting with Sautee Shadows, set during the time of the Georgia Gold Rush and Cherokee Removal. You'll follow four fictional families through the real events and places of the Civil War to Reconstruction, as represented in book four, Bright as Gold, winner of the 2015 John Esten Cooke Award for Southern literature.

Gabrielle Meyer: Happy Fifth Anniversary, Colonial Quills! I joined the blog a little over a year ago, but I first discovered CQ a few years back when my author friend, Laura Frantz, recommended this blog. It's been a wonderful place to learn, meet new people, and share my love of history.

Pegg Thomas: I can't believe I've been part of the Colonial Quills for more than a year! Time flies when you're having fun. And this is a fun group to be with. Last month I sold my first manuscript to Barbour Publishing for a release in April 2017. That story will be part of a nine-story anthology centering around the Pony Express. I'm currently working on a couple of Colonial-era novellas, one set here in my native state of Michigan.Represented by Linda S. Glaz of the Hartline Agency.I'm easy to find around the web! Facebook, Twitter, Google+, PeggThomas.com, The Quid Pro Quills, here on the Colonial Quills.

Angela K Couch: So excited for Colonial Quill's five year anniversary! I have only been a contributor for the past six months, but have enjoyed the wonderful articles and fun facts about the Colonial era for much longer. I have had so much fun the past couple years writing and preparing my Revolutionary War novel, The Scarlet Coat for publication. It is set in the Mohawk Valley and is the first book of my four book, Hearts at War series that will also include, The Patriot and the Loyalist, The Tory's Daughter, and The Return of the King's Ranger. Yep, there is plenty of conflict in each of these stories that will be released by White Rose Publishing of Pelican Book Group.

In celebration of CQ's anniversary I am giving away an ebook of Mail-Order Revenge, my recently released Novella.

From Christy Distler: Happy 5th birthday, Colonial Quills! I joined the blog in 2015, and look forward to contributing more this year. I write both contemporary and historical fiction, although I'm now finding that the French & Indian War time period is my favorite. My current novel (circa 1756) takes place primarily in my hometown and is a fact-and-fiction story about my Quaker ancestors, who settled in the "wilderness" north of Philadelphia in the 1709. I'm represented by literary agent Ruth Samsel. Feel free to visit me on my website.

From Tina St. Clair Rice: Our newest member. Tina is a respected Book Reviewer of Christian fiction. We're so blessed to have her join us! Look for Tina's reviews of colonial era books and other Christian fiction books written by our authors! Tina will be kicking off our Facebook portion of the party today! Don't forget to swing by Facebook, which is the place to share your party clothes, recipes, and meet with the authors during their assigned times! Click here to swing by the party!

Remember, the giveaways are done here on the blog, so leave a comment here to enter for those prizes! Please partake of tea and pastries and enjoy the conversation.

251 comments:

Good day to you! Martha Osbourne here, from Williamsburg! I'm taking a break today from training for the Steeplechase between Bruton Parish and Grace Church, in Yorktown.I'm preparing a tea tray and coffee, too, for our visitors today for this momentous occasion! And we'll have food, too, including the lovely brown sugar cinnamon rolls baking in the ovens out back, right now! I hope you've come in character! Tell us your story!

Good morning Mary, it is so good to celebrate with you and the other lovely ladies. Your gown is beautiful! Those brown sugar cinnamon rolls smell delicious, I think I will have one with a cup of tea please.~~~~~~~~~Congratulation Carrie on 5 years! I love CQ and the authors here. I have learned so much about our history since I first learned about CQ. God has blessed this site and may He continue to do so for many years to come. I am honored to be here.blessings, Tina

Congratulations on Five Years!!! I enjoyed reading this blog post and learning more about each author. I know Denise Weimer gave specific instructions, so I would love the chance to win a copy of White. And as an Avid reader, I have already own a copy of The Steeplechase. :) Looking forward to popping in and out throughout the day. Enjoy your day!

Good day, everyone! I'm Elizabeth Howard, and I have just time enough to drop in on this lovely celebration before I must embark for France. When I read through the accomplishments of the members of this group, I'm humbled by how God has blessed our endeavors. You've been such an encouragement to all of us these past 5 years, dear Ms. Osborne, and it's a pleasure to be included in such a noble cause!

Amazing....5 years already Carrie... I so enjoy Colonial Quills and all the authors here... What a blessing to have such an informative and educational site and to be friends with so many of you all these years ! May the Lord give this blog many more years to share history and the love of the Lord with others !

A very quick wave and hello and then I must fly! But I'll return later. :)

Today I'm Susanna MacFarlane, backcountry girl and daughter of Jacobites who came to the colonies then felt compelled to give their loyalty to the King when the colonies decided to rebel. The ungrateful wretches, my mother would say. I however have been caught up in the evacuation of the loyalist refugees and find myself in Charles Towne, awaiting the Crown's decision on whether or not to continue fighting the rebels, and in rather dire straits. I was made to nurse the wounded rebel prisoners, and one, a handsome young officer, has attempted to befriend me but I'm suspicious of his motives. They've lent me this beautiful gown of cloth made in India, and I thought it just the thing to wear to this lovely party. You ladies are so kind to even consider letting me come. I long to be home in the backcountry of South Carolina but I do not know what will become of me ...

Oh, the tea is so delicious. And the cinnamon rolls ... such a delight ...

Thanks for letting me join this great site. I love this era of history & have been to many of the places in these books. Loved seeing Williamsburg even though it was a few years ago. I would love to get any of the books in this part of history.

There are some NW authors here too I see and one that specifically said ND which really makes me want to know exactly where since I live in NW Minnesota and am travelling through SD and ND today and when/where they might have signings! :) My area isn't too populated, so I get pretty excited for "local" authors within 4-6 hours! :)

Wow 5 years!!! I've not been a part of this for very long. I mostly just read the blog posts and not much else. I know a lot of the authors here (some new-to-me) and have enjoyed reading some of their books. By the way Roseanna White, congrats on the Christy finalist award, much deserved my friend!! You're a wonderful writer and I so enjoyed the Ladies of the Manor series & am anxiously awaiting the third installment!Anyway, that being said, I guess I'll have to be a more active participant here, there's so much to read and many authors to get to know! For Denise Weimer, she asked which book I'd choose if I were to win....I say it's always best to start at the beginning and since I've not read anything by her, I'd choose "Sautee Shadows". I also don't do audio books, so I'll pass on Carla Olson Gade's audio giveaway. Thank you to all the generous authors who've put a book up for the giveaway!

Happy 5th year you guys!! I think I'll grab a pastry or two, a cup of hot tea & "mingle" a bit :-)

Trixi, the beginning is definitely a good place to begin! I wanted to offer SAUTEE SHADOWS as an option since it is the earliest period of writing I currently have on the market. All the Colonial fiction is coming soon.

I found this contest a little confusing. Must be my old age! Of Denise Weimer's books, I'd prefer Sautee Shadows since I haven't read any of her books and like this time period. jarning67(at)hotmail(dot)com

Congratulations on 5 years! What a great way to celebrate with a great giveaway! I am new to this blog, but know of some of the authors. I enjoyed getting to know more about them all!! Again, congrats!

Love CQ! I have learned so much history since I have been following this blog. Thanks Carrie, for following the Lord's leading to start CQ and for you, and all the wonderful authors that take their precious time to share with us. The contests all sound fabulous and I certainly would love to win any of these wonderful books. I hope to stop by at the party as I am able. bettimace(at)gmail(dot)com

It has been a wet, rainy day to travel from Maryland. Your gown is lovely Martha, as are all the ladies here. I am so glad to join you all in celebrating 5 years! What a blessed adventure you all have had. I think I will get a cup of tea and some of those delicious smelling cinnamon rolls while I mingle with everyone.

~~~~~~~~~~~CONGRATULATION Carrie and CQ on 5 years! I have been so blessed by the posts here and have learned some very interesting things about our history. Wow, your accomplishments are certainly blessed! Thank you for sharing with us. Adding to that blessing, I have met many amazing, gifted Christian fiction authors as well as fellow readers. May God continue to bless CQ and each one of you for many years to come. I am honored to be here.blessings, Tina

Hey Hey!!! I'm popping in real quick before my sister arrives for a few days of touring around the fabulous Williamsburg/Yorktown area! We'll be immersing ourselves in so much rich history!!! I love VA!

Not sure how long I've been around here, popping and out over the years, but it's been a looooong time. :)

CONGRATS to CQ on your 5th ANNIVERSARY!!! I hope y'all have many more great years of blogging and sharing all the interesting tidbits about our country.

(Chappy Debbie enters)Good day everyone! Oh everything and everyone looks fantastic! I am going to do my best to chat throughout the day. Congratulations to the wonderful ladies of Colonial Quills! Time does fly. Well, I do believe I will partake of some refreshments.

Thank you, sweet lady. I chose this lightweight dress, so that I won't die from the heat.....now, where did I put my fan? Oh, there it is...a necessity for me these days. *big smile* Thank you for the pastries. Is there some coffee to go with them?

This is really exciting! All these wonderful Authors here! I know its the last second,but, I just picked out the dress that I am wearing today. I have to stop by the summer kitchen and pick up the treats which I had made especially for today!What a wonderful celebration!

So glad you could make it, Lynda. And I love the Y in your name, by the way. So pretty. Hope you enjoy some good reads...and some of these pastries. I'm trying to empty this platter, but not by myself as my stays don't have that much room in them!

Me, too, Dianne! I've done most of my writing in that period, after years of participating in living history and vintage dance. But it's been such a delight for me to research and learn about the Colonial Era as I've written my first books set in that period and joined CQ. And what a wonderful group of writers and readers are associated with this blog! What are some of your favorite CW novels?

Hi Everyone! It is a beautiful day to take a trip to see all of you! Congrats on your 5 year anniversary! I love going to parties.... All you ladies look lovely! I love meeting new to me authors! All the books sound awesome and the covers are gorgeous! I had the pleasure of meeting Denise Weimer in Arnoldsville, GA a few months ago! I see some punch and cookies so I think I am going to get me a bite to eat and drink and mingle! I have been friends with Colonial Quills all 5 years!

Hey yall. I thought I commented early but now I can't find my post. I just want to say congratulations on 5 years. That's amazing. I am a new comer to the blog but I am planning on staying and having a blast with yall. I am enjoying the party and pastries :)

Congratulations to you, ladies! What a great collection of authors and prizes. I so admire anyone who can keep a blog. I've tried every now and then, but still feels as though I'm look for my niche. Wishing you many more years of success! :)

Thank you so much for coming by, Noelle! Blogging can be hard, and isn't for everyone, even authors. I struggle with it, myself. The important thing is to keep learning and keep writing, even if your "thing" isn't doing an actual blog. :)

As always I'm looking forward to the tea party. I loved reading about each of the authors and others who write for the blog here. I do tend to forget who all is part of what blog. All the books mentioned sound great.